All can agree that today time seems to be flying by at a rapid pace and the prophecies of the Bible are jumping off the page. The importance of the study of the “Prophetic Scriptures” is seen when we recall that two-thirds of the Scriptures are prophetic, either in type, symbol, or direct statement, and that more than one-half of them are as yet unfulfilled; and as those that have been fulfilled were literally fulfilled, as the promises in reference to the “First Coming” of Christ, so those as yet unfulfilled, will be as literally fulfilled. If then we would know the “Mind of God” as to the future we must study the “Prophetic Scriptures,” or remain in that class that the Apostle Peter speaks of as being “Willingly ignorant,” so as to claim “ignorance” as an excuse for conduct. (2 Peter 3:3-8) Like the old Gospel song says, “Signs of the times are everywhere and there is a brand-new feeling in the air. Keep your eyes upon the eastern skies—lift up your head—your redemption draweth nigh.” The prophet Daniel was the prophetic statesman of his day. It was given to him to study the “Signs of the Times,” to know the outcome of all the world’s boasted civilization, and to see that the nations of the earth should degenerate in political power until the clay of democracy, socialism, and anarchy would so weaken the nations that there would be no cohesion among them, and that the only salvation for a chaotic world would be the return of Christ, and the setting up of His Millennial Kingdom. Daniel was a man greatly beloved by God and some Bible scholars observe that he is the only spotless character in the Bible outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. He held office, yet his character was never impeached. He talked with angels. The Lord Himself appeared unto him, and he had visions of God. His last message to Daniel is found in Daniel 12:4 “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and ‘seal the book’, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Truly we can visualize the words of this prophecy as we see it unfolding literally and spiritually. We see the current speed of travel and increase of knowledge. The current rate of which human knowledge is increasing is estimated to be doubling every 12 hours largely driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and the Internet. But more importantly there is a spiritual hunger emerging for information and understanding of biblical prophecy, particularly end-time events. Therefore, it is imperative that we glean gems of wisdom from the book of Daniel to prepare for the end-times for which Daniel has written.
The Book opens with the Hebrew people in captivity in the kingdom of Babylon because of their rebellion against God and their worship of false gods. In Isaiah 39: 5-7 we read, “Hear the word of the Lord of Hosts; behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which they fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon.” We see from this Scripture that the four Hebrew captives who were in their twenties, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, as they were of royal blood, were eunuchs. This is confirmed by the fact that they were turned over to the “Prince of the Eunuchs.” (Dan. 1: 3-4, 6-7) Their names were changed in an attempt to wean them away from the One True God and get them to adopt the religion and habits of the heathen nation where their future was to be spent: Daniel (God is my Judge) changed to “Belteshazzar” (Whom Bel favors); Hananiah (Beloved of the Lord) to “Shadrach” (Illumined by the Sun-God); Mishael (who is as God ) to “Meshach” (Who is like Venus); and Azariah (the Lord is my help) to “Abed-nego” (The servant of Nego). We have witnessed the targeting of our children and youth to seduce them into the world’s mold and away from God.
However, Daniel stood firm and was instrumental to set the example for the other young men and said in 1:8: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” Therefore, God gave them favor with the prince of the eunuchs and they were saved from the defilement and thrived on vegetables and water. They could have made many excuses: that they as captives must obey; that they had to comply with the rules and law of the country; that it might interfere with their advancement or maybe cost them their lives. We read in verse 17: “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding all visions and dreams.” As Christians, we find ourselves captives in the Babylonian lifestyle of worldliness and pleasure that surrounds us, and many of us instead of being transformed are conformed to this world. We have fallen in with the spirit of this present age and are living a life of compromise, the outcome of which is a life of powerlessness and spiritual barrenness, the results of which is we have no “dreams” or “visions” of His Holy Word. Let us dare to be a Daniel in these days of Babylonian worldliness and live lives separated to Christ.
They passed the first test but as we well know through our experiences, each test gets a little harder. Nebuchadnezzar the King in his pride and desire to be worshipped made an “Image of Gold” and demanded that everyone great and small bow down in worship to it. Verse 3: 6 says, “And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” It was reported to the King that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to follow his demands, that they would not serve his gods, nor worship the golden image. (3: 12) He said to them: “if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God shall deliver you out of my hands?” (v. 15) They replied: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou has set up.” (17-18) They were men of faith—they knew their God—our God is able to deliver us, and He will deliver—but if He does not see fit to deliver us, it will make no difference as to our decision, we WILL NOT serve your gods, nor worship the Golden Image which you set up. They had the spirit of the Martyrs. They “loved not their lives” and were resolved to be faithful unto death—not to the end of their natural lives, but unto the death of the “Fiery Furnace.” They would not yield or compromise. They acknowledged God’s right to their lives and so should we as well. There was no mistaking the meaning of their answer, and it made the King more furious than ever and had the furnace heated seven times hotter. The king’s soldiers were destroyed by the flames while the Hebrew young men were not touched by the blaze—their hair was not even singed nor even smelled like fire. The salvation of the three was accomplished by the fourth man in the flames—the preincarnate Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6) Peter echoed this truth in Acts 4: 12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Revelation 13:8 says Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world. Like these three young men, we are called to be willing to lay down our lives for Jesus—knowing that He will never leave or forsake us. God received the glory in their rescue—not the young men. The King saw and believed in the One True God because of the testimony of these three young men and their faith in a miracle-working God!
The King in 4: 1-3 made a proclamation to all the nations of the signs and mighty wonders the One True God performed and said, “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation.” His confession would be challenged in a tree vision that greatly troubled him, and he sought the meaning from his advisers—the magicians, conjurers and diviners—Satan’s adversaries who were unable to interpret it. But in 4: 8 we learn that Daniel came before the King to interpret the vision. In verse 17 we learn that there is in Heaven a “Court,” known as the “Court of the Watchers” or “Holy Ones,” that made the decree to the King. The book of Daniel reveals the close connection between the earth and the “Spirit World.” In chapter 9:10 we read of the visit of the angel Gabriel to Daniel, and in chapter 10: 4-12 of other heavenly beings. In Ephesians 6: 11-12 we are told to put on the whole “Armor of God,” for, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood (earthly beings), but against “Principalities, against “Powers,” against “Spiritual Wickedness” in high (heavenly) places.” In Daniel 10: 13 we see that God sent Michael, the Archangel, the Commander-in-Chief of the armies of heaven, to overcome Satan and his princes. GOD AND HIS ARMIES ARE STRONGER THAN SATAN AND HIS MINIONS!
The King revealed all the details of the Dream to Daniel, but he was greatly troubled and for one hour was too astonished to share the meaning. He dreaded to tell the King the unpleasant news. However, the King, who seemed to realize the personal character of the Dream, assured him that he need not fear to tell him, then Daniel, to prepare the King for the judgment that was to come upon him said: “My lord, the Dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.” In other words, he wished the calamity on him might fall on his enemies. Daniel compared the tree to the greatness and strength of the King’s kingdom, but it would be chopped down “in order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men.” (v. 17) The King would be driven away from mankind and his dwelling place and eat with the cattle for seven periods of time. (Divine judgment for the furnace’s heat.) The condition for the restoration of his kingdom is stated in v. 26: “Your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules.” The God of heaven is sovereign over all. Those who refuse to acknowledge that there is a greater authority than themselves will soon find themselves with no authority whatsoever. Daniel’s advice to him is the same advice for each of us, “Break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.” (v. 27) The King had confessed with His mouth belief in the One True God and now he was given the opportunity to confess his sin, repent and believe in his heart. In verses 34-37 the King blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him. His mind was restored, his kingdom restored and said, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” God opposes human pride wherever He finds it, and He always will. God declares, “I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.” (Isa. 13:11)
LESSONS FROM DANIEL FOR THE END-TIMES: 1. Train and nurture our children in the ways of the Lord. 2. Fix our hearts and minds upon the Lord and stand firm in faith. 3. Be obedient to God no matter what and do not compromise with the world and its evils. 4. God is a God over all and greater than all—over all rulers, Master of angels and a God who responds to faith. 5. Humble ourselves before the Lord recognizing our own unworthiness and dependence on Him—a heartfelt plea for grace and mercy. It involves walking with God and acknowledging that we can do nothing without Him! Do not give up! The God of Hosts is working in ways we do not see. Hold your ground, resist the devil—look at God!